The Duke's Masked Wife

41 Meet the Duchess (1)

Somehow, Oliver could not seem to realize his actions of constantly trying to have Edgar thrown in a cell. Oliver for some reason disliked the additional power the King gave to Edgar and looked to find a flaw in every job he did.

Oliver was the one to end the friendship so why was he so invested in meddling in Edgar’s business? Edgar had long let go of their friendship after Oliver started to distance himself in the past.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Edgar. In case you have forgotten, I am the captain. I oversee matters on this side of the town-”

“Wrong! You force yourself to be involved in anything with my name attached. I have eyes and ears all around the kingdom, Oliver. Since we used to be friends, I have tolerated your ways but I cannot any longer. You can question me about the death of the Baron as it is your job but do not allow whatever ill feelings you have towards me make you forget what kind of man the Baron was.”

Edgar had been in this position where Oliver would question every single move he did even if Oliver knew Edgar’s actions were justified.

“Young master,” Alfred returned with a stack of papers and handed it off to Oliver.

“Go through it well and see the crimes Desmond has piled up. You might hate me but you know, I never kill without reason. A good host would show you out but I have no intention of watching you and your men leave. I have a wedding night to enjoy. Alfred, see to it that all of the town guards leave and anyone loitering around is killed,” said Edgar.

“You just said you never kill without reason and yet you just ordered my men to be killed,” Oliver replied, releasing his grip on his sword to get rid of the temptation to point it at Edgar.

“You got what you came for which is a valid reason for me killing the Baron. I have every right to kill anyone still loitering around on my estate. I am the Duke of this land, Oliver. I can kill trespassers on my land. Time is ticking for you to be gone. Be gone by the time I count to ten. One,” Edgar began to count.

.....

The night was too wonderful after killing Desmond for Edgar to spend precious time talking to Oliver.

To rid Edgar of his cockiness, Oliver unsheathed his sword pointing it at Edgar’s face. “I hate men like you who abuse your power.”

“And I hate ignorance,” Edgar replied, unphased by the sword inches away from his face. He knew just like Oliver knew that his blood would not be spilled in his own home. “Put away your sword before you hurt yourself, Oliver.”

“You walk around like you are the King but I will be watching and waiting for you to mess up.”

“Get an actual hobby to occupy your time,” Edgar recommended.

“Even if what you have in the papers were enough to kill the Baron, you must speak with his wife. The Baroness wants to have a word with you. After watching her husband be slain by your sword, she deserves an explanation considering you are walking away free. Goodnight,” Oliver retreated his sword.

He took the stacks of papers from Alfred and then proceeded to leave as the other guards were waiting on the outside.

“What happened between the two of you? You two used to be such good friends. I had high hopes you two would still be friends after you changed from boys to men,” Alfred said with a hint of sadness in his voice.

Of all the young men Edgar became acquainted with, Oliver was one of the few he viewed as Edgar’s friend.

“I cannot answer that as Oliver was the one to end our friendship without any explanation. Now he goes around, running wherever he hears my name as he looks to throw me in jail. Another pain in the ass I must deal with. Send a bottle of alcohol to the empty bedroom on the second floor to the left of the stairs,” said Edgar.

“Are you truly going to spend your wedding night in separate rooms? Your bedroom has been set up for both of you just like you requested. Even if he wasn’t the best father, he was still her father and the Duchess will need to be comforted. Do not share separate rooms tonight,” Alfred advised Edgar. He imagined the emotions Alessandra was going through now that she was alone in her room.

“I am not the best when it comes to comforting someone. I will check on her for a moment but we will not share a room tonight. Do not ask me about it again.” Edgar knew what Alfred was trying to do but they both agreed to no feelings. It was better that way.

“What was the point of getting married to her then? You could have helped her without getting married to her. You were so adamant about not getting married and wanting to be alone. Can you honestly say there are no feelings involved?” Asked Alfred.

“There are no feelings involved, Alfred. I barely know Alessandra-”

“Enough to marry her,” Alfred interjected. “What is your reason behind this?”

“She simply amuses me. My family is constantly on my ass to get married and have a child. Out of all the women I have come across, none have amused me as Alessandra has. She wanted freedom and I wanted the marriage offers to stop. We both got what we wanted and we are fine. Stop expecting something more and prepare for tomorrow. The news of my marriage will spread like wildfire.”

“Yes, young master,” Alfred once again gave up. He didn’t know how he would handle two young adults who would eventually bottle up any feelings they have because of the contract.

‘They already agreed to be married forever. Why not just toss the contract out the window if they are getting along so well?’ Alfred wondered. ‘Young people these days and their relationships.”

Meanwhile, as Edgar walked up the stairs to go to the second floor, he made the decision to not check up on Alessandra. He already asked her what she was feeling and she was not in need of being comforted based on what he saw. Edgar was not going to force Alessandra into talking about her father’s death.

Alfred thought Alessandra would be crying alone in her room but quite frankly, Edgar believed she didn’t care about her father’s death. She was the one to give her permission for him to be killed.

***

“His bathroom is huge,” Alessandra commented as she looked around Edgar’s bathroom while she sat in a tub of water. “I could fit three of my bathrooms inside of here. Did one person truly need so much space?”

Edgar’s wealth had no bounds as even his bathroom was enough to make anyone jealous. Though Edgar had wealth it didn’t seem like he was the type to flaunt it.

From the many times she eavesdropped on the guest speaking at the parties her father threw from time to time, all everyone did was talk about the expensive things they bought. From houses all the way down to rings.

Alessandra always thought those people spoke looking for validation. They wanted to show they belonged in high society and bought ridiculous things to show off their wealth. “I would rather have the money saved rather than wear something just for others to comment on it,” she said.

“I won’t fit in,” Alessandra mumbled.

It wasn’t just about the mask and the rumors that wouldn’t make her blend in with Edgar’s peers. It was personality and what she viewed as important in life that would make her different. She didn’t grow up caring about appearances and wealth. She only wanted to have fun.

“Ow,” Alessandra yelled as something pricked her skin. Looking for the cause of it, she realized the wired ring was still on her finger. “Is there something wrong with me if I prefer this to a diamond ring? It suits me more,” she said, carefully twirling the ring around her finger.

She was not going to get rid of the ring Edgar created for their wedding. It would serve as a memory of what happened on this very night when she became a Duchess.